James Potter and the Start of a Legacy
by Lyria Padfoot
Summary: James' first year at Hogwarts. Look out for more "fanbooks" in the series. And PLEASE R/R!!!
1. Letters, Shopping, and Arrival

Story Title:  
  
Author: Lyria Padfoot  
  
Feedback/Posting: LashaPadfootOfGondor916@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG, may be PG-13 later  
  
Disclaimer: Belongs to J.K.R. I'm not quite that creative.  
  
Summary: First in a set of seven. James Potter's first year at Hogwarts. Read the book for Harry's, and for Harry's son, go look at Tatt Skywalker's "Cedric Potter and the Witch Caster's Disease." For more possibilities with the ladies of Hogwarts, read any of my other HP works.  
  
  
  
The owl flew through the open window, dropping a letter on the table. James Potter looked at it curiously from behind his round glasses as his mum and dad shared a smile. Who would be writing him? Sirius lived next door, and most of his other friends lived within a few streets. He turned over the envelope. Hogwarts! He ripped it open excitedly.  
  
"Mum! Dad! It's my letter! My letter's here! Can I go see if Sirius got his yet? When are we going to get my things? I can bring my owl, look it says so..."  
  
"Calm down a minute, calm down!" His father laughed. "Run over and see if Sirius got his, if you'd like."  
  
James leapt from the table, dark hair more askew than usual as he bolted for the door and flung it open.  
  
Sirius Black was already there, his own black hair unbrushed and brown eyes alight. "You got yours too, then?"  
  
"Just opened it! It's finally time to go," James sighed happily.  
  
Sirius grinned. "They aren't going to know what hit them."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Behave," Mum told James firmly, sending him next door in his best robes. Sirius' dad was going to take them both to Diagon Alley to get their things.  
  
Sirius had lived next door with his father and his little brother Orion for as long as James could remember. Sirius' mum had died when he was two, and James' mum had rather adopted him and Orion.  
  
Orion was standing at the door, waiting for James. "Come on! Sirius is putting his shoes on, and then we're going to floo there and he says I can hold his wand when we get home!!"  
  
James grinned and entered the house just as Sirius came flying—literally—down the stairs. He'd tripped over his shoelace and hit the floor at the base of the stairs with a thud. "Good, you're here!" He retied his shoe. "DAD! James is here!! Can we go?"  
  
Mr. Black entered the room. "Hello, James. How are you?"  
  
"Fine thanks, sir," James smiled.  
  
Mr. Black grinned. "I imagine you're as eager to go as Sirius, so let's go." He took the jar of Floo Powder from the mantel. "Sirius, where's your brother?"  
  
"Just putting away the breakfast dishes," Sirius said innocently.  
  
A shriek came from the kitchen.  
  
"Sirius Polaris Black! You are going to spend more time in detention than in class!" Mr. Black snapped, and then went into the kitchen to assist Orion.  
  
"Biting teacup," Sirius explained to his friend with a grin.  
  
James smiled. A day with the Blacks was always a great deal of fun.  
  
  
  
  
  
Upon calming Orion and flooing to Diagon Alley, Mr. Black turned to the two soon-to-be Hogwarts students. "Can I trust you two to get your books and robes if I take Orion with me to go get Sirius' owl?"  
  
"A gray one, Dad," Sirius requested.  
  
"So you've told me every day since you got your letter, Sirius. I'm letting you two go against my better judgment. Prove me wrong." Orion and Sirius went off on their way.  
  
"Awful brave of him to leave us," James commented.  
  
"How much ice cream can we eat? Besides, he knows I want my stuff." Sirius grinned. "Now, do we go get our boring old books, or our wands?"  
  
"Wands!" James cried, and they darted across the street to Ollivander's.  
  
"I've been expecting you both," a voice informed them. Mr. Ollivander stepped off the ladder. "Now, who'd like to be first?"  
  
"Umm, you go, Sirius." James said quickly. Now that they were here, he felt rather nervous.  
  
"Alright then," Sirius shrugged.  
  
Mr. Ollivander handed him a wand. "Phoenix feather and oak, sixteen inches. Go on, try it."  
  
Sirius waved it, and an entire shelf of wands crashed to the floor. "Umm... oops?"  
  
"No matter. Here, dragon heartstring and willow, ten and a quarter inches."  
  
Sirius tried again. This time a box shot off a shelf and nearly hit James in the head. "Sorry about that," Sirius told his friend.  
  
Mr. Ollivander had Sirius try a few more wands with no success. He even tried a holly and phoenix feather one from the very back of the store. "A bit tricky, but no matter. Try this. Dragon heartstring and willow, twelve and three quarter inches."  
  
Sirius took the wand, and red and gold sparks shot out the end.  
  
"Excellent! Now you, Mr. Potter." Mr. Ollivander handed James a wand.  
  
James gulped. Sirius had looked almost natural, waving the wands about, despite the disasters some of them had caused. James, however, was certain he'd look like an idiot. He waved the wand.  
  
The front window shattered.  
  
James yelped.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I broke a shelf." Sirius grinned, still holding his wand with a pleased grin.  
  
Mr. Ollivander took the wand and handed James another. "Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches."  
  
James barely had it in his hand and Mr. Ollivander snatched it back. "No, that won't do... here, beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches... no... try this—maple and phoenix feather..."  
  
At this, a small fire broke out on the floor.  
  
Mr. Ollivander put it out. "Clearly not... here, Mr. Potter. Mahogany and phoenix feather, eleven inches."  
  
James took it and listened for crashes and looked for flames before he tentatively waved it. Multicolored sparks flew out of it.  
  
"Perfect!" Mr. Ollivander declared.  
  
The pair paid for their wands and slipped out of the store.  
  
"Funny shaped packages for books," a voice said behind them. Mr. Black stood there, smiling.  
  
"We needed wands too," James pointed out.  
  
Orion gasped. "That's where you've been! What's it made of, Sirius?"  
  
"Mine's dragon heartstring, James' is phoenix feather. You can see when we get home."  
  
Orion stared rather wistfully at the boxes.  
  
They stopped for books and then went to get some of their rather miscellaneous supplies. Sirius was rather enthusiastically studying the telescopes, while James was more interested in an astronomical model that would keep him from ever needing the telescope.  
  
"I'll go get you your cauldrons. Orion, you run and get quills, ink, and parchment..." Mr. Black began.  
  
James gave his friend a grin. It looked like they got to head off on their own again.  
  
"And you two go get your robes. *Just* the robes, alright?" He told them.  
  
Sirius gave his father his patented innocent look. "Sure dad, we'll be at Madame Malkin's." They darted off.  
  
Just as they were entering the shop, a group of boys was leaving, and one of them collided with James. Both James and the other boy landed on the floor.  
  
"Oops! I'm sorry," James said, picking up his fallen wand box.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" The boy snapped. The first things James noticed about him were the greasy black hair and the crooked nose. The boy stood, dusted off his robes, and stalked off with his friends.  
  
"Pleasant sort, isn't he?" Sirius commented, helping James to his feet.  
  
"Bet he's in Slytherin," James said, looking after him darkly.  
  
Sirius considered a moment. "Course he will be. But I hope he's in Hufflepuff."  
  
"Hufflepuff? Why?"  
  
"Cause I reckon if he gets put there, he'll leave."  
  
James merely grinned at that.  
  
  
  
  
  
James woke up, put on his glasses, and immediately went downstairs for breakfast. He'd been having a wonderful dream. He and Sirius had been going to Hogwarts, and... WAIT! He glanced at his calendar. He really was going to Hogwarts—today! He bolted down the stairs.  
  
"Look who's awake," Mum teased. "We put your trunk in the car. Run upstairs and put on some Muggle clothes now, and I'll finish up breakfast."  
  
James ran upstairs, eager to comply. Instead of his usual robes over the chair, he found a pair of Muggle jeans and a shirt and tossed that on.  
  
"Did you even try to brush your hair, young man?" His mother demanded.  
  
"Of course," James told her.  
  
"Well, I certainly can't tell," she sighed. "Come sit and eat. I'm not sending you off on the train to eat sweets without a proper breakfast."  
  
A morning had never passed so slowly. Finally, finally, it was time to leave for King's Cross Station.  
  
Upon arriving at the station, he found another familiar face getting ready to get on Platform 9 ¾. "Lyria! You got your letter too?" The brown- haired girl turned to face him, her blue-gray eyes framed in silver. "And you got glasses!"  
  
"Way to be observant, James," Lyria Strider replied. "You didn't think I was a squib, did you? Cassi's already on the platform, and so's everyone else. Oliver's Head Boy this year," she informed him.  
  
"Not surprised. He's in Ravenclaw, right?"  
  
"Yep." Lyria grinned. "Better say goodbye, we'll be leaving before long." With that, she walked onto the platform.  
  
It was a good five minutes before James could pry himself away from his mother. "Honestly, Mum! I'll owl you once we get there," he assured her. "Love you!" He stepped onto the platform...  
  
And nearly tripped over a short boy with light brown hair and cinnamonish brown eyes.  
  
"Oh, sorry!" The boy cried, getting to his feet and offering James a hand up.  
  
"Thanks. Are you a first year too?" James asked. The boy nodded. "Waiting for someone?"  
  
"No..." he trailed off.  
  
James grinned. "Come on, then. You can sit with my friend & me. I'm James Potter, by the way."  
  
The smile took a bit of the loneliness out of the boy's eyes. "Remus Lupin."  
  
"There you are!" Sirius was on the train, having just poked his head around the corner. "Come on!"  
  
"That's Sirius," James explained. "My friend."  
  
The two boarded the train. Sirius had saved a compartment. They quickly got all the trunks and owl cages and everything tucked away and were just sitting down when another person entered. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full... or else full of girls."  
  
"Come on in," Sirius invited. "What's your name?"  
  
"Peter Pettigrew." The blonde stepped into the compartment gratefully.  
  
"I'm Sirius Black, that's James Potter, and that's Remus Lupin." Sirius introduced, helping Peter get his stuff settled. "What's your Quidditch team?"  
  
Talk revolved around Quidditch for a while, as is common in the wizarding world. Then James poked his head around the door and gasped. "SIRIUS! It's that kid from Madame Malkin's!"  
  
"Why's he carrying his wand? Looks like he's trying to start trouble..." Remus noted.  
  
Sirius grinned. "I say we prevent him from causing problems..." He turned to Peter. "Wait here, watch the stuff. I don't want him touching my things."  
  
"Poisonous, he is," James agreed.  
  
Sirius slipped casually out of the compartment and snatched the kid's wand right from his hand, running off. James and Remus followed.  
  
"We're going to be expelled before we even get there!" Remus yelped. "Or at least lose house points!"  
  
"They can't take points away, they don't know what houses we'll be in," James replied.  
  
The way Sirius' eyes lit up at this comment made James wonder if it had been wise to point that out. He slipped into a compartment quickly, closely followed by James and Remus. Wisely, Remus closed the door.  
  
They turned around. It was a compartment full of girls.  
  
"Gaaah!" Yelled Sirius.  
  
"Nice to see you too," replied a rather calm voice. "Starting trouble already?"  
  
"Hello, Lyria," Sirius sighed. "And Cassi. And Lyria and Cassi's Redhaired Friend."  
  
"Introduce yourselves," Lyria demanded.  
  
James grinned. "I'm James Potter." He sat down.  
  
"Remus Lupin." Remus continued staring out the door, making sure Grease Hair didn't find them.  
  
"And I," Sirius mock bowed, "Am Sirius Black."  
  
"I'm Lily Evans," the redhead said, giving them a rather bewildered look.  
  
"They're always like that," Lyria sighed.  
  
"He's coming!" Remus yelped.  
  
James led them back toward their compartment, which involved running past the group that had chased them down here, but they managed without much trouble. They entered the compartment, but now found themselves cornered.  
  
"Way to go James Potter," Sirius muttered sarcastically.  
  
James knew, then and there, that Sirius would be the devious mastermind behind the pranks they hoped to pull off. "Too late now. So what do we do?"  
  
Remus slipped behind them and began digging through his trunk.  
  
The owner of the wand—who James for lack of a name was calling Greasebucket—stepped forward. "I ought to hex you both into next week," he sneered, taking his wand from Sirius. "What do you think?"  
  
"I think personally that that's a bad idea," Sirius told him. "Just a misunderstanding after all..."  
  
"I don't think so." Came the reply. He pointed his wand at them...  
  
"Incendio!" a voice muttered behind them. Greasebucket's robe caught fire, and he stormed out of the compartment with his friends, stomping it out.  
  
James looked at Sirius, and both turned to see Remus holding his wand.  
  
Remus looked a bit uncomfortable. "I guess I learned a couple things over the summer."  
  
"I reckon we're the first ones to ever start a fire on the train," Sirius grinned. "Nice one, Remus!"  
  
Remus moaned and buried his face in his hands. "Don't remind me. Thank God no one knows who we are yet..." He stuffed his wand back in his trunk.  
  
"We'd better get changed. We're nearly there," Sirius noted. "Have to make them think we're model students, after all."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Firs' years!" An incredibly tall man holding a lantern called out. The group of four boys joined the others of their class. James looked around at the faces. He could see Lyria, Cassi, and Lily, all standing together, and over there were the boys from Madame Malkin's. There seemed to be so many of them...  
  
"Four to a boat!" The man instructed them. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter clambered into a boat, and the little fleet took off.  
  
They were soon staring up at the enormous castle that was their school. James and Sirius exchanged a grin. They were finally at Hogwarts!!  
  
"Firs' years, Professor McGonagall."  
  
"Thank you, Hagrid." The witch—Professor McGonagall—led them all to a spot in the corridor just outside a huge set of doors and began to explain the sorting. James tuned out—Dad had explained it to him before he left.  
  
"The sorting will begin momentarily." The Professor left and went into the hall.  
  
The first years glanced around nervously. "What do you reckon we'll have to do?" Peter asked.  
  
"We haven't got our wands, they're supposed to be in our trunks," Remus pointed out. "It can't be that bad..."  
  
"Oh! All you have to do is try on a hat," James assured them. "No big deal."  
  
"So our 'family' for the next seven years is in the hands of an old hat? That's not very reassuring..." Sirius sighed.  
  
The first years continued to talk quietly to themselves until Professor McGongall returned. "Come along. It's time." 


	2. Sorting

The first years clustered nervously around the stool at the front of the Great Hall. Everyone in the hall stared at the dirty old hat, and then it began to sing.  
  
"When I call your name, you may step forward and sit on the stool. I will place the hat upon your head, you will be sorted, and you may join your house." Professor McGongall explained. "Black, Sirius."  
  
Sirius walked casually over to the stool, and after just a moment on his head the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
With a bright grin, Sirius hopped off the stool and sauntered to the Gryffindor table, pleased with himself.  
  
More and more people were getting sorted... "Chadwick, Brianna" became the first new Ravenclaw. "Evans, Lily," the redhead from the train, became a Gryffindor, along with "Longbottom, Frank," and then...  
  
"Lupin, Remus."  
  
Remus sat, looking anxious, and the hat fell over his head. It took at least several minutes before the hat finally called "GRYFFINDOR," and Remus hurried over to sit with Sirius.  
  
More names. James stopped paying attention.  
  
"Pettigrew, Peter."  
  
The hat took twice as long as it had with Remus. Almost regretfully, it called out "Gryffindor!" And Peter darted off to the table.  
  
"Potter, James."  
  
James sat on the stool, staring at the inside of the hat.  
  
"Let's see now... ah, an easy one!" It chuckled to itself. "Nowhere to put old Godric's heir except GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
James fairly leapt off the stool joyfully. All of them together in the same house! This could be great fun...  
  
Sirius gave James a bright grin when he sat down. James looked down the length of the table—his family while he was here.  
  
It looked like he'd gotten a pretty good family.  
  
"Snape, Severus."  
  
"So *that's* his name," Remus muttered quietly as the greasy haired boy sat down the stool.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!" Called the hat.  
  
"No shock there," Sirius smirked.  
  
"Strider, Lyria."  
  
"Oh, no," Sirius muttered. "Not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor..."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" Bellowed the hat.  
  
"No!" yelped Sirius. Fortunately, he wasn't heard over the cheering of the rest of the table.  
  
Lyria went to sit next to Lily.  
  
"She's family now, sort of," James told his friend. It wouldn't do to have his friends hating each other.  
  
"The evil stepsister, maybe," countered Sirius.  
  
"Why do you hate her so much? She seemed nice enough on the train," Remus noted.  
  
"I don't hate her; she's just evil."  
  
The rest of the sorting went quickly. "Thomas, Dylan" and "Wood, Zachary" rounded out the rest of the new Gryffindors, and when dinner appeared before them Sirius' complaints about Lyria were forgotten.  
  
  
  
  
  
After the sorting and the feast, a prefect by the name of escorted the first years to Gryffindor Tower. They stopped at a portrait of a rather large woman in a pink dress. James frowned. His dad hadn't mentioned that.  
  
"Password?" Asked the fat lady.  
  
"Leone," Arthur told her, and the portrait swung open. The first years found themselves in a huge yet cozy red-and-gold room. The ceiling was high, with a huge fireplace off to one side and stairs up against one wall.  
  
"Whoa." Frank's statement echoed everyone's thoughts.  
  
The prefect directed them to their dormitories, and James and Sirius led their classmates up to their room.  
  
James picked the four-poster on one side of the window, and Sirius immediately selected the one on the other side. Remus was on the other side of Sirius, Peter on the other side of James. Frank and Zachary picked two beds close together, and Dylan picked the one closest to the door.  
  
"Wonder how come there's seven of us and only two girls," James muttered.  
  
"Blame the hat," Sirius replied. "But I'd rather have six brothers than six sisters anyway... What about you, Remus?"  
  
"I'm just glad to be here, and that I'm in Gryffindor with you guys." He replied, sounding rather sleepy.  
  
"Still with us, Peter?" James asked, noting the silence.  
  
The only reply was snoring.  
  
  
  
"James?? You awake?" Zachary Wood's voice jolted James out of bed.  
  
"Yeah, why?" He mumbled, sitting up.  
  
"Any chance you can wake Sirius up? Frank's been trying for fifteen minutes and he hasn't budged, and some of us want to eat before class." Zachary explained.  
  
"Oh, Sirius. Right." James hopped out of bed and walked over to Sirius' four-poster. Sirius had the blankets pulled over his head, and seemed to be face down in the pillow. James grabbed a chunk of thick black hair and pulled.  
  
"Gaaah!" Several sharp yelps and creative words could be heard despite the smothering effect of the pillow. "What was that for?!?"  
  
"Get up, we have to go eat." James instructed. "And I didn't do anything your father wouldn't have done, pulling your hair, so I don't know what you're crabbing about."  
  
Sirius sat up with a yawn. "Speaking of hair, you might want to tame that bush growing out of your head. Or did you brush it already? It's awful hard to tell..."  
  
James scowled. "My hairbrush went missing."  
  
"Doubt that'll help you much anyway," Sirius said, straightening his Gryffindor tie and pulling on his robe.  
  
Remus looked at Peter. "What are you doing under the bed?"  
  
"I lost my shoe!" He replied. A moment later he emerged with the shoe and a hairbrush. "James, is this yours?"  
  
"Yeah, but... how'd it get there?" He looked around, a bit confused.  
  
A few moments later, everyone had found everything and the group started off toward the Great Hall. "Umm... do we remember how to get there?" Frank asked suddenly.  
  
"Sure," Sirius replied. "Just follow the rest of the tower."  
  
Sirius' suggestion worked, and breakfast was over entirely too quickly. Soon they were off to their first class—Charms. 


	3. Potions Class, and New Allies

Charms, James decided, was a relatively safe class. They had spend the entire class trying to make feathers levitate, and the most exciting thing that had happened was Lyria getting hers to shoot across the room. He had made his lift off the table a bit, but it hadn't really been floating, and Peter had managed to start a small fire. Fortunately, the diminutive Professor Flitwick had put it out with no problems. Lily Evans, of course, had hers floating all over the room with no trouble at all.  
  
And now they were off to their second class; double Potions with Slytherin.  
  
Blech.  
  
"Same seating as we did in Charms?" James asked his friends.  
  
"I really don't want to sit with Peter again; I'm starting to fear for my life," Remus cracked.  
  
"Hey!" Peter yelped. The others chuckled and they all entered the classroom.  
  
Professor Prewett immediately began assigning seats at the start of class. "None of you sitting around and not getting anything done," he snapped. "Mr. Snape and Miss Strider, you sit here. Potter and Evans, behind them..." He put Sirius with Frank Longbottom and Peter with a Slytherin whose name James didn't know.  
  
Soon, they were all trying to concoct a potion to cure boils. James noticed that Lyria and Snape seemed to be spending more time arguing than anything else.  
  
"Get out of my way, I'll do it," he snapped.  
  
"Is it because I'm a girl or because I'm a Gryffindor that you think I can't do anything?" She snarled back.  
  
Uh-oh. James could almost predict the fight coming.  
  
"Neither, you're just useless," he sneered.  
  
"At least I bathe," she snapped back. "And I happen to have been helping my father in *his* Potions lab for years."  
  
"Too cheap to get real help?" Snape smirked and put a silencing charm on her.  
  
That was too much. James was just waiting for the explosion when he saw Lily float the empty jar on their worktable over and drop it on Snape's head. It shattered and fell.  
  
Professor Prewett whirled around. "What in blazes is going on over there?"  
  
Lyria managed to undo the silencing charm just in time to burst into laughter.  
  
"Think it's funny, do you?" Snape snarled, this time using an itching curse.  
  
Lyria's face took on a dangerous expression. "Nobody. Hexes. A Strider!" She lunged at him, and there was a sickening crunch.  
  
Sirius' eyes lit up and he jumped into the fight as well.  
  
The Slytherins, of course, began attacking the other Gryffindors in retaliation, and soon it was an all-out war.  
  
Professor Prewett was doing his best to pull all of them apart, but with little success in a class of twenty.  
  
James threw a ladle of his potion at Snape before joining the fight as well.  
  
Finally, the Muggle Studies teacher who happened to be walking by came in to help pulling them apart. It took a full fifteen minutes to restore order, and it took both teachers to get James, Sirius, Remus, and even little Peter away from Snape.  
  
"Four Musketeers, those ones," the Muggle Studies teacher chuckled as he left.  
  
"Mr. Avery, escort Mr. Snape up to the Hospital Wing and see what can be done," Professor Prewett instructed. Snape's nose appeared to be broken, and Lyria smiled, pleased with herself.  
  
"Miss Strider, you go up as well and take care of that itching problem. I'll see you in detention," he said flatly. "Five points from Gryffindor."  
  
Lyria didn't even look abashed that she'd lost five points in her second class. She merely picked up her things and, holding her head high, went off to the nurse.  
  
Professor Prewett turned to James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. "And you four... ten points off Gryffindor each for your behavior."  
  
"We didn't even start it!" Sirius yelped indigantly.  
  
"And detention for talking back to a teacher!" the Professor responded. "I'm sure you and Miss Strider will get along perfectly well while you pickle toads this evening, Mr. Black."  
  
The Slytherins laughed vindictively.  
  
James hesitated, but decided to chance it. "Excuse me, Professor, but the rest of us didn't say a word..."  
  
"Then you may report for detention today and tomorrow, Mr. Potter."  
  
James scowled. Remus had buried his face in his hands again, as he had on the train. Peter looked ready to cry.  
  
Once things had settled down, Professor Prewett ordered them to try the potion again.  
  
"I hope Snape's nose is hurting really badly," James muttered to Lily.  
  
The redhead nodded in agreement. "I hope he's got a black eye, too."  
  
James grinned at that, and they got back to work. 


	4. Transfiguration and a Prank

A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed!! And now here's a new chapter... more will come from "Off To Hogwarts" after my AP Exam on Friday.  
  
As usual, none of this is mine and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read my other works as well!! Short chapter, my apologies... but more is coming!  
  
James knew then and there that that was the first and last time they'd ever ask Peeves for directions. He, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had been delayed by three locked doors, two trick staircases, and a hidden trapdoor, and were now running as fast as was humanly possible to Transfiguration.  
  
"We'll... be... ready for... track!" Peter managed as he panted along just behind the others.  
  
"This isn't a Muggle school, we don't have track!" Sirius called back to him, not sounding the least bit winded. He was leading the group as he was the only one who knew where they were going.  
  
"We're going to be late... oh, we're going to be late..." Remus sighed.  
  
"We *are* late!" James replied. "Someday we have to make a map of this place!!"  
  
The four burst through the door of the room and took their seats. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall entered the room just behind them.  
  
"Transfiguration is some of the most difficult and complex magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she told them by way of greeting. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back."  
  
James had a sudden image of Professor McGonagall eating first years for breakfast, but he quickly got it out of his head. Then she turned her desk into a pig and back.  
  
"Whoa!" Sirius gasped. "Awesome!"  
  
"Thank you, Mr.Black," McGonagall said, actually looking bemused. She passed out matched and (after detailed and complex instructions) they began the process of turning them to needles.  
  
By the end of the class, most everyone had given up.  
  
McGonagall, walking up and down, stropped at James and  
  
struck his needle against the matchbook. "Well done," she told him, wearing a slight smile.  
  
Then she struck Sirius' needle against the book. His  
  
needle caught fire.  
  
Sirius looked rather crestfallen, but McGonagall blew out the needle and handed it back to him. "Also very well done."  
  
"Don't worry about it Sirius- most people didn't do anything," James consoled his friend.  
  
Both Lyria and Remus had silver and pointy matches, but the rest of the class faced unchanged bits of wood.  
  
Professor McGonagall assigned loads of homework and dismissed the class.  
  
"Oh, that was awful," Peter sighed.  
  
"It wasn't too bad, we can learn it," Lily said. "Not everything will be easy."  
  
James was only half-listening as he tried to memorize his way around. Then he caught sight of another group of kids. "Slytherin Alert, 12 o'clock," he hissed. "And Snape's with them..."  
  
Sirius' face lit up. "I've got an idea..."  
  
"Not another one! Sirius, I'd like to be at this school for more than a week!" Remus hissed.  
  
"Relax," James assured Remus with a similiar grin. "Sirius can talk his way out of anything!"  
  
As they passed by the Slytherins, Sirius dropped something in Snape's bag. James flashed him a grin and they continued down the hall.  
  
An absolutely awful stench drifted down the hall.  
  
The boys ran off laughing.  
  
Lyria sighed. "I reckon they'll get expelled by Christmas." 


	5. Missing Companions

They were leaving Charms the next week when James noticed that one of his friends didn't seem quite right. "Remus, are you okay?"  
  
Remus looked rather alarmingly pale. "Yeah, yeah... I'll be okay. I'm just going to go up to the Infirmary fast, okay?"  
  
"We'll go with you, then." James offered.  
  
"No! No, I don't want to be a bother. I'll catch up with you." Remus replied.  
  
"If you're sure," James hesitated. Should he just let it go? Remus didn't seem to want company, but if he was really sick... "See you at dinner?"  
  
"Yeah," Remus called as he darted off.  
  
"I hope there's nothing really wrong with him!" Peter looked anxious.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, he's uptight sometimes, but he's a  
  
nice kid," Sirius added.  
  
  
  
James was getting worried. Dinner was now almost over, and Remus had yet to appear.  
  
"Where's Remus?" Lily asked suddenly.  
  
"Did he get wise and ditch you three?" Lyria joked.  
  
"He said he didn't feel quite right after Charms, so he ran up to the Hospital Wing," Sirius explained.  
  
"But he said he'd meet us at dinner." James added. "And he's not here yet."  
  
"You don't think he's really sick, do you?" Lyri  
  
asked.  
  
"Yeah, he'll be alright, won't he?" Lily put in with a worried expression.  
  
"Of course he'll be okay!" Sirius said.  
  
"Why don't we go see him? Dinner's over," James suggested.  
  
"Let's go. Maybe it'll cheer him up," Lily replied.  
  
The group of five hurried down to the Infirmary.  
  
  
  
Madam Pomfrey halted them at the door. "What's wrong? Who's hurt?"  
  
Sirius put on his best nice boy look. "No one's hurt, ma'am. Our friend came down sick earlier, and we just wanted to see him..."  
  
"Who's your friend?" She demanded.  
  
"Remus Lupin," they chorused.  
  
Madam Pomfrey's expression softened. "Oh. Yes.  
  
The poor dear came down in the afternoon. I'm going to  
  
keep him overnight. You can see him tomorrow."  
  
"But he's okay?" Lily asked.  
  
"Oh yes, dear," Madam Pomfrey assured her. "He'll be quite alright."  
  
They headed up to their common room, defeated.  
  
"We've got to go see him tomorrow morning," James insisted.  
  
"Right. Before breakfast, we'll run down." Sirius replied.  
  
"Before breakfast?" Peter whined.  
  
"It wouldn't kill you, Peter," James told him. "After all, if he doesn't get better you'll never be able to get your homework done."  
  
The next morning, James was awakened by Sirius' shaking. "Come on! Get up and get dressed so we can see Remus."  
  
James hopped out of bed and hurried to get ready. He didn't bother to brush his hair- not that it made a difference- simply got dressed and headed off.  
  
Madam Pomfrey once again met them at the door. "Head to breakfast," she told them kindly. "Your friend will be just fine, and he'll meet you in class."  
  
They obeyed. James felt weird, sitting around without Remus. He'd gotten used to having the quieter boy around.  
  
Lily and Lyria joined them at breakfast. "Still no  
  
Remus?" Lily asked.  
  
"Not yet," James replied sadly.  
  
Just then Remus enetered the hall, carrying his things for class and looking only a bit paler and more tired than usual. "Hey everyone," he greeted them as he sat down.  
  
"Remus! You're back!" Peter cried.  
  
"Ever the obeservant one," Sirius muttered to James. James grinned, grateful his friend was alright and back again. 


	6. Permanent Friendships

A/N: DONE DONE DONE! This story is now COMPLETED! I apologize for making it short, but I like the other upcoming projects better, so I'm rather cropping this one. As it is, my plot just rather died. Thanks for reading and keep your eyes open for Story 2: James Potter and the Dark Creature! Course, you should read my other stuff in the meantime....  
  
  
  
James was feeling more than a little apprehensive as the four of them sat outside the headmaster's office.  
  
"Something tells me this won't be the last time we're out here," Remus muttered.  
  
It was all Snape's fault.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had fixed his nose in no time at all, and he'd bothered Lyria & Sirius for their entire detention. In usual fashion, James & Sirius decided to get even.  
  
Disaster ensued.  
  
James made Snape's lunch plate fly, and Sirius had transfigured (albeit with difficulty) Snape's knife into a garden snake. Sadly, the girl sitting next to him panicked just as Remus' carefully placed dungbomb went off.  
  
Then Professor Prewett was attacked by that nose-biting teacup, and in a seething fury dragged the four of them to Professor Dumbledore's office.  
  
Remus' expression was solemn and almost accepting of whatever awaited them. Peter looked purely terrified.  
  
James refused to allow this. "We aren't going to just sit here! Yes, we'll take what's coming to us, but..."  
  
"Payback?" Sirius said with a slight grin.  
  
"No!" Remus cried. "No more! We've tried that, and I've had enough!"  
  
James was torn. He wanted nothing more than to put Snape in his place, but something seemed to almost frighten Remus about it. "We'll talk about it later," he decided.  
  
Then Prewett left the headmaster's office. "He's waiting," he told them.  
  
Peter squeaked.  
  
James found himself in a round room with sleeping portraits everywhere. The Sorting Hat rested on a shelf, and in the corner was a big red bird.  
  
"This is Fawkes," Dumbledore told him, gesturing to the bird. "Have a seat, boys."  
  
They complied.  
  
"Now. What seems to be the problem?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Silence.  
  
Dumbledore looked slightly amused. "Mr. Lupin, could you tell me what happened, please?"  
  
James and Sirius shared a look. Now they were in trouble... Remus was afraid of his own shadow.  
  
Remus frowned. "I don't rightly know, sir... we were sitting at lunch, and then there was a commotion at the Slytherin table... then Professor Prewett was attacked by his teacup and he brought us up here."  
  
"I see," Dumbledore said, with a slight twinkle in his eye. "Well, why don't the four of you humor Professor Prewett and serve detention, and we'll leave it at that. I suggest you head to class."  
  
"Yes, sir!" Sirius said with his usual bright smile, and the four left. "James, we've corrupted another one."  
  
Remus blushed a bit. "Well, I didn't want to get expelled either. Now, what are we going to do to Snape?"  
  
James and Sirius shared a grin.  
  
An unbreakable friendship had just been formed. 


End file.
